Published On 7/7/2026
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Last update: 16:36 (Mecca time)
The activities of the 36th edition of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit kicked off in the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Tuesday, through a defense industries forum that began with the summit, which is being held in light of intense American pressure to achieve a greater balance in the field of burden-sharing among NATO members.
Some NATO leaders arrived in Ankara to participate in the summit, including US President Donald Trump, whose plane landed in Ankara on Tuesday afternoon, and was received by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
According to Anadolu Agency, the activities of the Defense Industries Forum accompanying the summit have been launched, which focuses on transatlantic production and related investments, amid expectations that it will be the largest industrial event in the history of NATO.
The agency noted that during the past four years, the alliance has traditionally held a defense industries forum as part of the side events accompanying its summits, but this year it included the forum within the official program of the summit, which focuses on enhancing European defense spending and capabilities, and concluding huge deals to purchase weapons.
The heads of states and governments of the alliance are scheduled to meet at the Presidential Palace in the Turkish capital tomorrow, Wednesday, during the two-day summit. The Presidential Palace will also host activities on Tuesday in which the defense and foreign ministers of NATO member states will participate.
According to the official program published by the Alliance, an “important announcement” is expected to be revealed during the Defense Industries Forum, in which Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, Defense Minister Yasar Guler, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will participate, and they will deliver speeches during its activities.
The rest of the leaders of the 32 member states are scheduled to arrive in Ankara to participate in the summit, which is being held in light of persistent European efforts to gain the satisfaction of the American president, who is angry about the European position on the American-Israeli war on Iran.
This summit comes a year after NATO member states pledged to increase their defense and security budgets to 5% of their respective gross domestic product by 2035 under pressure from Trump.
Arming to reassure Trump
During the first day of the summit, Rutte announced the conclusion of contracts to enhance the alliance’s defense capabilities, including a contract with the Airbus group, which will add another aircraft of its manufacture to the alliance’s multinational fleet of refueling and air transport aircraft.
Rutte confirmed yesterday, Monday, that European countries are fulfilling their promises by strengthening military budgets and moving to bear greater responsibility for defending their continent against Russia.
The Secretary-General of NATO confirmed, in statements he made to the media after his arrival in Ankara yesterday, Monday, on the eve of the summit, that NATO members will reveal new arms contracts worth billions of dollars during their summit in the Turkish capital, Ankara, to show the American President their commitment to their defense pledges.
Rutte added: “After just one year, we are already seeing qualitative progress. European allies and Canada are already investing about 4% of their GDP in defense and security, and they will present clear plans on how to achieve the ultimate goal.”
He pointed out that this matter “translates into $258 billion in additional investments in the years 2025 and 2026 together. We are investing in our security, and making sure that we have what we need to protect our societies today and tomorrow, because the threats we face are real, including the Russian threat.”
Rutte stressed that, in addition to assuming greater responsibility for their own defense, European countries have now become a “spearhead in providing support to Ukraine.”
European leaders in the alliance are seeking to transform their pledges in the field of armaments into concrete commitments, to calm the American president who is upset about European countries imposing restrictions on American forces’ use of their bases to attack Iran.
Strengthening defense capabilities
The opening of the summit’s activities comes with an exhibition and forum for defense industries, prior to the start of its main sessions, with the aim of helping allies transform rapid increases in military budgets into new capabilities, as leaders will unveil new arms deals worth tens of billions to prove their commitment to promises to Trump, which is what a high-ranking European diplomat – who requested anonymity – described by saying: “It is show time.”
In the context of these efforts, Canada announced yesterday, Monday, that it had selected the German company Thyssen Group Marine System to build its new fleet of submarines in a program valued at billions of dollars, to deepen defense relations with NATO’s European allies.
Trump pressure and the Iranian file
The US President left Washington for the summit late Monday evening, accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
A few days before the summit, Trump continued his attack on allies, describing their defense spending as “ridiculous,” and wrote on his “Truth Social” platform last week: “It is ridiculous for the United States to continue on this unilateral path while the relationship is not mutual. They did not stand by our side when we needed them.”
European leaders aspire to avoid any sharp clash with Trump that might harm the alliance’s credibility, especially after he repeatedly questioned the possibility of Washington continuing its commitment to protecting its allies.
Reports indicate that European leaders are counting on Trump’s good relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the courtship campaign led by NATO Secretary General Rutte, despite the presence of thorny issues that may ignite his anger following his previous disagreements with other leaders, the most recent of whom is Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
In an attempt to show a desire to cooperate on the Iran issue, the European allies led by France and Britain formed a possible naval mission to help secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, and countries moved warships to be closer to the region, but the situation remains potentially explosive, as the Europeans prefer to wait until the features of the American agreement with Iran become clear before sending their naval vessels.
Reports indicate that NATO leaders hope that the US President will adopt a conciliatory tone during the summit, but they are beginning to accept the fact that the United States will inevitably retreat from its alliance with them and shift its focus towards the Pacific region and other regions.
Washington recently announced a reduction in the military assets and capabilities it places at the disposal of NATO leaders, expressing its desire for the allies to take the lead in defending the continent.
It is expected that European countries will seek to prove their readiness to play this role, while working hard to keep Trump and the US army in the alliance as much as possible.
Zelensky in Ankara
On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to join NATO leaders, where he will attend the leaders’ dinner on Tuesday evening, and Zelensky will receive a commitment from his European supporters to continue the flow of military aid to Kiev.
Zelensky is seeking pledges for total military aid worth 140 billion euros (about 160 billion dollars), and urged allies to take “decisive decisions” to provide more air defense missiles after a devastating Russian bombing that killed about 30 people.
Zelensky is expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Trump on the sidelines of the summit, during which he will seek to convince him that Kiev has begun to tip the scales of the war in its favor, and that he must pressure Moscow to return it to the negotiating table.
